Day two of the Magic Marine RS500 World Championships brought totally different wind conditions and introduced a mix of top contenders. Alex Mobbs and Bryan Taylor proved they’re not just made for the high winds, winning both races. However, they had to fight for their wins with the racing incredibly close and hard fought right to the finish line.

Around 60 boats started the two races that were held inside the harbour. The light, shifty conditions meant that it could have been any of the top 10 boats making it over the finish line in first position. Significant wind shifts during the starting sequence made it difficult for race officer ‘Arky’ to get the second start underway, with two last-minute postponements and, finally, the black flag coming out again.

Showing good, consistent form in the difficult conditions were team Hong Kong – Lars Schkade and Justin Tse – who claimed two third positions with exceptional downwind speed. Fellow team mates – Cosmas Grelon and Will Stephens – along with Brits Mike Saul and Meg Fletcher, and 2010 World Champions Tim Wilkins and Heather Martin also did well.

Close racing throughout the fleet was shown by the fact that the whole fleet finished within five minutes of each other.

Overall, Alex and Bryan are looking good for the championships, but Dutch team Barend and Max are in second, and looking forward to another windy day! Mike and Meg are in third, closely pursued by Tim and Heather in fourth. It’s anyone’s game.

Following the official racing was a ‘fun race’ to end the day. The fleet attempted a gate start, which was led by RS International Chairman Michiel Geerling as the ‘path-finder’. He successfully got the fleet off to a good start with a number of boats having a good tussle up front. Rounding the windward mark in first position was husband and wife team - James and Lucinda Tanner (GBR) - who kept their lead and finished in first. Johan Rook swapped his usual crew for fellow Swedish team mate Axel Lohansson and came a close second, with father and son team - Peter and James Curtis (GBR) - coming in third; youngster James helmed the boat instead of sailing in his usual crewing position.

The Dutch sailing team held a party for the RS500 sailors in Weymouth town at the local theatre, and proved they know how to work hard on the water and play hard on land. The hosts wore custom made Dutch outfits and served tasty (dangerous!) green and brown spirits to the crowd as they enjoyed the view of Weymouth carnival from the sun-deck. The Red Arrows performed overhead and fireworks were let off from the bay, and then it was back indoors for some dancing to the ‘Magic Marine’ song, specially composed for the RS500 Worlds by a Dutch DJ. The crowd was pleased to welcome GBR Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie along, who must have heard about the legendary Dutch party spirit!

Day one of the Magic Marine RS500 World Championship and Weymouth didn’t disappoint. As the wind built, so did the anticipation in the boat park; there were some nerves as well as a fresh south-westerly blowing across the dinghy park.

Crews from around the world had come together to take part in the second championship for this young class with entry numbers doubling from 2010; 52 boats hit the water representing eight nations...it made for a spectacular start line.

Two windward-leeward races (with a windward spreader mark and leeward gate) were held on a large course set in Weymouth bay. The waves were significantly bigger on the ocean than in the shelter of the harbour, and added an extra boat-handling challenge on top of the gusting force 5 winds.

The first race got away with just an individual recall and it was clear that Dutch crew Barend Hiltermann and Max Blom meant business as they flew up the first beat. Brits Alex Taylor and Bryan Mobbs were hot on their tale, and then came a gap before the following pack. Close racing was had in various groups throughout the fleet. The downwind legs were hairy and claimed a few victims, but made for some high-adrenline, high-performance sailing. The Dutch safely sealed their first place with Brits coming second and third – Phil Highfield and Tamsin Butcher put in an impressive performance and held off the three other boats chasing them down in their pack.

The second race saw a general recall and everyone was called back to the start line for a second try, and race officer ‘Arky’ didn’t miss the opportunity to fly his enormous black ‘Guinness’ flag (which stands in for a normal black flag). It wasn’t long before he had everyone battling up the first beat again, and the leading two teams once again showed the way; this time it was GBR Alex and Bryan heading the charge, taking a commanding lead which they held until the end of the race. Mike Saul and Meg Fletcher finished in third to seal off a good, consistent day of racing for them.

Competitors gathered back on land after nearly four gruelling hours on the water and, needless to say, all were physically worn out and in need of some liquid refreshment, amply provided by Spinnakers bar in the impressive Olympic venue. Perhaps the highlight of the day was being a part of, and looking back on, 53 black spinnakers belting 3.3 nautical miles down to the start line.

There’s no doubt that the RS500 will be a class in the spotlight at the RS Games, a multi-class extravaganza taking place at Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, exactly one year ahead of the Olympic Games. Racing nine races between 16-20^th August, this double-handed trapeze class will compete for both the UK National and the World Championships.

This dual championship marks the coming of age of the RS500, being by far and away the biggest event that the class has held so far; 56 entries have already been taken for the Magic Marine RS500 World Championship. Half of the entries (28 boats) have come from the UK, with the other half of the fleet hailing from abroad. Entries have come from across Europe and even as far away as Hong Kong.

Followers of this fleet could be mistaken for thinking that the championship will be a two horse race. Tim Wilkins/Heather Martin (Hickling Broad) start as favourites following wins at the RS500 World Championship in Holland last year as well as at the 2010 UK National Championship. But stiff competition will come from 2009 European Champions, Alex Taylor/Bryan Mobbs (Budworth), who will be eager to reverse the 2010 Worlds result when they settled for second.

However, these top tips will be faced with some serious competition from mother-daughter team Debbie and Charlie Darling. A past double Olympian 470 sailor, Debbie (nee Jarvis) will be crewed by her 14 year old daughter, Charlie who is current RS Feva National Champion and 2010 World Champion. A formidable duo indeed!

Also in with a good chance is Mike Saul (Yorkshire Dales) who was the inaugural class National Champion in 2007. Mike is returning to the RS500 class after a short break, and doubtlessly will be keen to push back onto the pace.

Strong performances to date on the 2011 UK class circuit indicate that the Curits’s (Island Barn) and Phil Highfield/Tamsin Butcher (Great Yarmouth) could well also be in contention, especially at the latter pairing were runners up at last year’s Nationals. 

And of course, with such a strong international presence, there’s sure to be a few foreign faces at the front of the fleet giving the Brits a run for their money. Amongst the most promising teams are Michael Geerling/Hilde van Susante (Holland) who have steadily been increasing their game from a 6^th place at the 2010 Worlds, gaining second place at the RS Eurocup in Carnac in May.

On behalf of the Dutch RS500 Class Association, I (Nick van Alphen) would like to give you the dates of the upcoming RS500 events in Holland. I'm working on a new dutch website which uses your Google Calender for the international RS500 events. Would it be possible to add the dutch dates to the calender (Done!)? This way, we might get some crew from other countries to the sailing events in Holland. More boats, more beers, more fun! (clearly got the right idea!!)

1st Official Dutch National Championship 2-4 september 2011 @ KNZ&RV Muiden (one of the finest sailing clubs in Holland)

Open Dutch Skiff Trophy 17-18 september 2011 @ Aquavitesse, Bruinisse (Richard's place)

Future events for 2012 will be announced later this season. See you in Weymouth!